La Charla Constitucional

While morning Quito meetings can often seem slightly intimidating, this morning I rode the bus into town containing only excitement. Instead of reviewing the appropriate Spanish vocab in my head, pondering the superior amount of work experience possessed by the people on the other side of the gathering, and wondering about the quantity of people that would be at the meeting, today I could relax knowing that I would only be listening. After several meetings at Quito's prominent Fundación Esquel, Mark and I were invited to a charla (chat) at the organization's headquarters concerning the issue of economic modernization in Ecuador's proposed Constitution.

One of the great parts about working in a capital city in a developing country is the accessibility of top public figures. In contrast to bomb-sniffing dogs and dark-suited Secret Service agents to which we have become so accustomed stateside, one of Ecuador's most prominent politicians simply strolled into the small room before the start of the discussion. On the (far) left sat Alberto Acosta, the former head of the Asamblea Constituyente, whose name has been tossed around as a probable candidate in Ecuador's next presidential election (whenever that may be.) Acosta recently resigned his post as the head of the body in charge of designing the new Constitution after deciding the process was being overly rushed.

Luckily for those of us who were not experts on the new Constitution, Acosta spent a great deal of time discussing its broader social goals. From naming approximately 15 basic human rights (including the right to a job) to discussing the perils of privatization in light of Ecuador's grave 2000 financial crisis to the wide range of free government services, the proposed Constitution's socialist agenda was strikingly clear in Acosta's comments. A less-seasoned politician, Andres Vallejo, spoke next in the debate and illustrated his blunt reservations about the Constitution. His biggest complaints included concern for an inflated government bureacracy, failure in the proper application of its wide-ranging goals, and fear of the immense governmental centralization that it would provide.

Leaving the meeting, I started thinking about the vast contrast between the Ecuadorian politicians, their substantial political goals, and the common Ecuadorians with which we work. As a temporary resident in a foreign country, it surely isn't my place to influence voters' opinions about the proposed Constitution. However, it is goal-worthy to make sure an informed and politically-engaged electorate exists. Sitting down back at home this afternoon, I began to think of ways to achieve this goal before the Constitutional Referendum in late September, so with any luck maybe we'll be able to craft such a program by then.

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